


Skeletons in the Woods

by Sephypsycologist



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Animal Traits, Gen, Kemonomimi, Stuffing, not really shippy but it's some cute interactions anyway, silent but sentient, these are hungry boys, undertum - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2021-01-13 10:30:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21242627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sephypsycologist/pseuds/Sephypsycologist
Summary: Reader is a solitary sort of human who has moved to a spot off in the woods.Their neighbors are a family of skeletal monsters with a few features of various animals about them (ears, tail, sometimes feet and hands).This is the story of how they used food to bond with these strange guys and carve out a family for themselves.





	1. A wolf at the door

You looked down at the skeleton on your porch and sighed.

He looked sort of human, bone structure wise, but his skull was more cartoony and one solid piece and he had sharp teeth. One was even gold. But what mostly was strange was his fluffy wolf ears, paws, and tail. He was whimpering, ears down, and looking up at you pleadingly from all fours.

“Hey, Red,” You smile down at him and his look gets a little hopeful. “I bet you want something, huh?”

There were several animal-featured skeletons in the woods near your house, but Red was the one you saw most. He probably lived closest to you or something.

He nods and his tail wags a bit.

“Well, come in, you goofy skeleton. I’ll get you something to eat.” Stepping aside, you don’t fail to notice the perk of his ears and excited soft bark at the word ‘eat’.

He runs inside and instantly hops onto your sofa, laying down on his side and beginning to sleep. However, the tattered red shirt he wore adhered to gravity and you frowned as it fell into the completely empty cavity between his ribs and pelvis. That vague uneasy feeling doubled when you heard a deep grumble from his unseen belly that had the sleepy wolf whimpering and curling in on himself even as he tried to doze off.

You get to work in the kitchen as you murmur sadly, “Wow, he’s starving. That shirt fit him like a glove when I met him and now it’s three sizes too big. I’m surprised those cute little shorts of his didn’t fall off…but that might just be the drawstring.”

Putting together your hardiest beef stew, you feel good knowing you can help your neighbor with his current predicament.

The skeleton snores, tail twitching as he sleeps, the bright red magic in his mouth letting you see his tongue when he opens his mouth wide enough. It’s cute, and you can’t help sitting nearby and petting his skull softly, especially when his empty stomach roars at him and disturbs his otherwise peaceful rest.

The timer goes off, startling Red into yelping and curling in on himself, to signal you that the food is done. Getting up, you go over and take the pot off the stove. “Alright, Red, stew’s done. All it needs now is to cool.”

He blinks at you, then gets up and walks over, looking to have a purpose.

You gasp as he grips the pot and starts drinking hot stew straight from it, not even bothering to chew the bits of meat and vegetables. The dark brown stew dribbles around the sides of his mouth on occasion, but you’re watching his shirt as it fills out slowly with each swallow. Red’s tail is wagging excitedly, and soon enough you notice that not only does his shirt fit again, but the still filling bubble of magic beneath is starting to glow just as his mouth did.

He doesn’t stop drinking till your gallon pot is empty, and he has to sit down heavily into your dining chair. He’s holding onto the chair with one paw and very gingerly rubbing his belly with the other, looking almost stupefied from being so full.

“That was an impressive feat, pupper,” you chuckle. He nods, then burps loudly and blushes afterward in shame, ears drooping. “Oh, don’t feel bad. You were bound to build up a lot of air in there chugging it like that.” He nods, but tries to muffle any further air bubbles with his paw now that he’s more steady in the seat.

It makes you happy to see how his tail keeps wagging a bit even though you can hear how hard his belly is churning and gurgling from being filled with something so rich so quickly. His ears are down, though, and you notice his one paw is not doing much against the big job ahead, so you take the seat next to him, scooting it around to be right beside him. “You want me to help you with that?”

Red nods, red eyes dim even as he smiles.

“Okay then.” You gently shift his dirty old shirt up to survey your canvas, cooing at the way the translucent magic has gone opaque but still is much darker than normal. “Yeah, that’s one full tummy right there. I can work with this.”

His magic feels soft and smooth, even if it’s tightly stretched over the contents inside. You gently massage the feverish surface, grin twitching into a more delighted smile every time your movement makes a sloshing sound occur.

It doesn’t take long for him to get sleepy again, and you gently prompt, “You want to lay down?”

Red blinks slowly at you, the pain having left and been replaced by contentment, but he nods and lets you support him over to the couch. You have to rub a little more to ease the soreness activated by the move, but before long you have a very much asleep skeleton on your sofa again.

“You’re adorable, you know?” You hum softly as you get up, giving him a little scratch behind the ears. This gets you an ear twitch and a happy sigh, and that’s good enough for you. He probably wouldn’t ever tell you WHY he’d been starving, but the fact you could help him and make him happy pleased you to no end.


	2. Night Bandit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> another neighbor, another funny interaction

It wasn’t that you hadn’t expected a raccoon when you looked outside, but maybe one that was truly an animal rather than one of your skeletal neighbors.

“Are you seriously digging in my trash, dude?” You ask as the lanky skeleton spots you. He’s tall, yeah, but clearly sheepish about the fact he’d been found scrounging. His prominent cheekbones were tinted light orange, his round fuzzy ears back with shame. He was wearing a dirty old hoodie and cargo pants that had seen better days, but his big bushy tail looked well kept. Must just be too lazy to clean his clothes.

“You do know I can just give you food if you knock on my door, right? Seriously, I just fed Red the other day.” There must be something up if these guys were hungry enough to look through your trash.

He tilted his head, looking you over with his empty sockets, then shrugged and motioned for you to go inside. “Okay,” You agreed, heading in, “but I’m only going in so I can actually feed you, you goof.”

You think you remember this one’s name as being Honey, so you try it, “Any sort of preference for food, Honey?”

Flopping down on a dining chair, he shakes his head and lays it on his arm. What was with these skeletons and taking naps?

You sigh and start making the first thing you think of. You had some bananas chilling on the counter, so you start cutting those up. You also have an apple or two, some grapes, and a few oranges, so you’re making fruit salad. As you chop up each fruit and add it to a large bowl, you look at Honey. His clothes aren’t as beat up as Red’s were, but you can tell they’ve been around longer by the small worn spots at the elbows and knees.

You don’t hear much other than his soft breathing and your own chopping of fruit, but every so often a hungry groan makes you look over to Honey. Well, he doesn’t seem too bothered by it, but you don’t like the clear sag in his clothes that tells you he hasn’t eaten in a while. But when you start whisking the whipped cream to put on top of the fruit, a particularly long, low growl wakes him up and he almost pouts as he rubs the empty spot through his clothes.

“I’ve got it done, basically. If you give me a few more seconds, you can have some whipped cream, too.” You see him nod and blink a few times, still a little drowsy, before getting up and washing his hands. Ah, there’s the raccoon in him.

You finish the cream and dollop it on top and bring the bowl over with a fork. Handing it to him, you grin, “Eat all you want, and don’t be afraid to take the extra home with you.”  
Whether he heard you or not is debatable, since he instantly starts using the fork to spear fruit pieces and dunk them in the cream on top. His tail is standing at attention, he’s fully focused on packing as much fruit into his jaw as possible. You just smile and go about cleaning up while he eats.

Expecting nothing, you jump a bit when you hear him hiccup the first time. Turning around greets you with Honey looking confused with a hand on his mouth, then looking at you questioningly. “Don’t act like it’s my fault. You can’t cause someone else to get hiccups on purpose. Especially when that other person is made of magic.”

He seemed wary about that, but nodded and kept eating. After that, you’d be doing some little chore as he ate and hear that cute hiccup sound more and more frequently, until there was nothing left.

The bowls were cleared away and you smiled at Honey, “Now wasn’t that a lot better than garbage?”

He nods and gets up, very slowly, and you stifle your giggle at the way he’s filled out his hoodie till it’s tight against his belly. Huffing softly, your guest makes his way to the door and opens it, giving a little salute of some kind before heading off.

It strikes your notice that there are no more incidents of knocked over trashcans after that.


	3. Fox sitting?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> you're not really sure why there is a shy skeleton fox sitting on your couch now.

Unsure what you just heard, you go to the door and look out.

A very irritated looking skeleton with deer ears and antlers pushed a frightened looking, but much taller, skeleton toward the door. He whined, but the deer shoved him and stepped off, hooves clacking on the sidewalk as he went back to the woods.

The skeleton still on your doorstep had the ears and full tail of a red fox, his black paws nervously padding as he looked around. You weren’t going to leave him out there after what had been happening with your other visitors, so you opened the door, startling him into an adorable yelp.

“Hey, easy, guy. You a friend of Red and Honey’s?” You smile kindly at him, and he crawls in on all fours without you saying anything else, whining like he’d been given a death sentence.

Shutting the door behind him, you use your softest voice, “I know we aren’t acquainted, but I won’t hurt you. I’m guessing you came for food?”

He shook his head, but lay out on the floor and still looked miserable.

“Okay,” coming closer, slowly, you take in his reactions. He’s totally submissive, ears back and on his side, exposing his stomach to you. He’s got a coat on with a fluffy hood, like Red did, but his shirt underneath and the jacket itself are clean, as are his pants. “Then why did you come here? And what’s your name?”

He sighs and points at his jacket pocket, which tells you to look in it. You find a paper folded inside and it is written in a clear script, “HELLO HUMAN. YOU HAVE TAKEN CARE OF TWO OTHER LAZY SKELETONS, SO WATCH MY BROTHER WHILE I’M GONE. HIS NAME IS SYRUP AND YOU CAN DO WHAT YOU LIKE WITH HIM TILL I RETURN.”

You’re guessing this is from the deer, and you nod, “Okay, Syrup, so your sibling wants me to care for you while they’re gone. I guess you’re the younger brother, huh?”

Syrup nodded, not happy at all, but you feel like it’s safe to give him a little pet on the head. He freezes when you do, but you speak kindly all the same, “I mean what I said, Syrup. I won’t hurt you. Now, if you want to eat, you can, but I have to right now. I’m having turkey sandwiches and if you want one, just follow me.”

Getting up was easy, but you didn’t expect Syrup to hop up after you and grip your shirt with his paws while you head to the kitchen. Like a lost puppy, he was not going to be pleased until his sibling returned, and you felt sorry for him.

You put the sandwiches together and talk to him, even though (as far as you’ve known) none of these skeletons could talk. “Well, I’m sure if the other boys have told you anything, you know I like to feed my guests. But honestly, if you’re sleepy, you can use my sofa or my guest room, and feel free to get a drink or use the restroom anytime if you…need to? I don’t really know much about you guys, so I’m not sure if that’s even a thing? But you can still take a shower if you want. It’s the second room on the left in the hallway.”

Syrup seems to be getting a little more comfortable, and he nods when you turn to look at him. Setting the tray of sandwiches down, you take two triangles for yourself and push the other six or so towards you guest. Anything the two of you didn’t eat this time was going to be leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch, so that was fine, too.

His tail swishes and his ears perk up at the sight of food, and he takes one triangle and begins nibbling on it shyly.

“I’m pretty flattered your sibling thinks I’m a good choice to keep you company. I guess the word gets around in the forest pretty fast, huh?”

Syrup was getting more into eating and nodded again, his expression getting more comfortable as time went on. He kept munching on the extra sandwiches as you made small talk and got his occasional yes or no answer, but it was an easy conversation despite the language block.

He was an adult (no stripes, as you had been able to gather with your first encounter with the skeletons and questions to other neighbors), but very anxious if left alone, so his brother (the deer) had left him here with you so he wouldn’t get overly worried.

By the time you finished talking, the plate was empty and you’d only just finished your original two. Syrup was happy and got up when you did, even though he seemed perfectly fine with just sitting in the kitchen. “You just going to follow me around?”

He nodded and smiled, the golden tooth among his sharp collection glittering. Even with that, and the small scars on his bones, he looked as threatening as a dandelion. You giggled a bit and shrugged, not minding. “I was just going to sit on the couch and read. Sound good?”

Syrup nodded and once you’d picked out your book, the two of you sat on the sofa. He lays down, head in your lap, and looks up at your book, trying to read it from his angle.

By the time his brother came back for him, you were both cuddled up at a more comfortable position so Syrup can read. Of course, when a grouchy deer-themed skeleton is staring at you as you’re being cuddled by his little brother, you suddenly feel the cute, fun atmosphere break.

Syrup, on the other hand, gets excited and lets you go, yipping slightly as he runs on all fours over to his brother.

The glare you get is chilling, but Syrup waves happily as he leaves. You wonder if his brother is ever going to let you see him again.


	4. Salamanders heat things up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well, it seems Red's brother is finally taking a interest in this human.

Hearing someone, you turn around while watering your flowers and see another of your neighbors. He’s one of the taller skeletons, but it’s clear he’s more…lizardy? No, now that you look at him, his hands and tail look more like a salamander, since they’re shiny smooth.

He’s tall, taller than Syrup, anyway, and his tail slipped slowly back and forth. His immaculate black clothes made him look even more intimidating than his height did, but he handed you a delicately folded paper. You took it tentatively, and are surprised to see a delicate handwriting.

“HELLO, HUMAN. MY NAME IS EDGE. IT SEEMS YOU FED MY BROTHER AND I CAME TO SAMPLE YOUR COOKERY FOR MYSELF. RED WILL NOT STOP SINGING YOUR PRAISES AND IT’S ANNOYING. PLEASE ALLOW ME TO EAT WITH YOU.”

“Oh!” You are no longer scared. “It’s nice to meet you, Edge. If you go through the front door, you can wait inside. I just have to finish watering my garden.”

He nodded, then stomped off inside, wiping boots on the doormat before actually stepping in. Since you had a guest, you finished your gardening quickly enough and headed into the house. Edge was sitting on your sofa like he came to court your daughter (if you had one), stock straight and hands folded on his lap.

He tilted his head when you spoke, “You do know you can relax, right? I’m not one to insist on anything fancy or ultra-proper. You’re my guest; my house is your house.”  
He seemed confused by that, knitting his brow bones, but he nodded and leaned back a bit into the back of the sofa. But that’s all. 

Your kitchen is freshly clean, and you get out a few things to make some pasta. Noodles, some herbs and cheese for the sauce, and a nice set of bowls. Pasta was quick, and you knew you could get it ready while Edge waited.

“So you’re Red’s brother? I hope he’s been doing better at getting his own food. I think he was nearly ready to drop when I saw him the other day.” You’re just making conversation, not expecting any answer or response. “I really like him. He’s really good company and pretty good at communicating even without words. Then again, maybe that’s just hindsight being tricky. I’ve gotten used to you guys not talking after meeting five of you.”

Edge fidgeted a bit and sighed, his tail tip dulling, but he huffed and pulled a pad of paper you had on the side table to him, the attached pen scribbling across the surface. He then got up and showed the pad to you.

“THAT WAS MY FAULT. I WAS TRYING TO IMPROVE HIS EATING HABITS AND FORBID HIM FROM EATING FROM HUMAN TRASH CANS. I HAD NO IDEA THAT WAS MOST OF HIS FOOD SUPPLY, AND HE WAS TOO PROUD TO ADMIT IT TO ME. I APOLOGIZED TO HIM ALREADY, BUT AT LEAST I KNOW IF HE’S EVER IN TROUBLE, YOU’RE HERE. THANK YOU.”

You blushed and smiled. How kind of him to admit his wrong to you. “Well, that does explain things, and I do agree with you that trash is very bad for hygiene and health in general. Do you hunt?” Edge nodded, “Good. Maybe if you want Red to hunt more, you should bring him along with you? He might scare off your kills for a little while, but he’d learn better from example or with instructions than just trying to figure it out on his own.”

He blinked, then nodded, seeming thoughtful until the food was done.

“There we go. Fresh pasta, and some homemade cheese sauce.” You set it in front of Edge, and he sniffs it for a moment before using the provided fork to eat it. His expression went from sour to curious to delighted as he ate your food, and when the bowl was empty, he quickly made a beeline for the pot to serve himself more.

“Haha,” you laugh at his brazen attitude, and he rolls the red pinpricks of magic inside his dark sockets. “Just continue on, then. I can see where Red gets his more insistent behavior from.”

Your guest nodded and ate at least two more helpings before putting his plate away in the sink. He got the pad and pen back and wrote:

HUMAN, YOU ARE TRULY AS AMAZING A COOK AS YOU’VE BEEN LAUDED TO BE. ON ANOTHER DATE, I WILL RETURN AND HAVE YOU INSTRUCT ME ON HOW TO MAKE THIS DISH. FOR NOW, THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND HOSPITALITY TO MYSELF AND MY FAMILY. GOOD DAY.

You nodded and led Edge to the door, “And thank you for the company! I love when anyone visits, so be sure to bring Red or any of the others when you come, or tell them to drop by. It’s been a lovely experience meeting you, Edge.”

He smirked and nodded before slipping out the door.


	5. Squirreling away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honey visits again with someone new! His cute baby bro is ready to meet new friends!

You didn’t have to wait long for another visitor. Honey returned, and racing along beside him was a smaller, more smooth faced skeleton with bright eye lights and the tail and ears of a squirrel.

Inviting them both inside, you asked, “Who’s your guest, Honey? Did you guys show up because of Edge?”

Honey shakes his head, and the little squirrel skeleton hands you a note on blue paper. “HELLO! MY NAME IS BLUEBERRY, OR JUST BLUE FOR SHORT! I HOPE WE CAN BE FRIENDS LIKE YOU ARE FRIENDS WITH MY BROTHER.”

“Oh. Okay. Hi, Blue.” You introduce yourself and are instantly hugged and nuzzled, a fluffy tail flicking around behind your new accessory.

Honey chuckled, carefully prying Blue from you and smiling.

“Well, that was a nice hug, Blue, thank you. Do you guys need something, or is this purely a friendly visit?” Honey holds up two fingers. Ah, the second option.

Blue begins investigating the living room, and the kitchen, as soon as he can. There’s a squeak, and Blue returns to tug on your arm. “What is it?”

Honey seems interested, following you two back to the kitchen instead of beelineing for the sofa like you’d expected. Blue pointed at a cereal box with a squirrel on the front, looking scared and sad.

“Do you…? Oh, Blue, sweetie, there’s only grain clusters in that box. It’s a cereal called Squirrel Treats, as in squirrels would like to eat it because of the nut pieces in it and the honey flavor. No squirrels were harmed in the making of any of my food.”

He perked up, as did his brother, and they both proceeded to curiously try, and then consume the entirety of, the contents of the offending box. Well, you needed to go shopping soon anyway and that box was a little stale at this point since it was just you in the house.

Blue hugged you again once they’d finished munching on the dry cereal, and you just shook your head and smiled, petting between his fluffy ears, “If you’re this happy now, I can’t wait to see you try it with milk.”

Honey walked up next to you and nuzzled your head, and both brothers purred. You couldn’t help squeaking from how adorable this was, and from the shyness slowly turning your cheeks pink.

You and the brothers chatted for a while once they let you go (well you chatting and them either nodding or shaking their head or maybe writing down some response), but as the sun starts to dip, they leave with happy waves and a note from Blue, “I PROMISE TO RETURN!”

You can’t wait for the energetic little hug factory to come back, or his sweet-toothed brother either.


	6. soft paws, soft ears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bunny and a lynx walk into a house.  
No this isn't a joke

Sleepy.

That’s all you could think when you walked to the door early in the morning.

A soft little bunny was dozing on your porch. Well, a soft little bunny-like skeleton. He had big ears that flopped over his face, and his curled position showed off the fluffy white tail poking from a hole in his basketball shorts.

Standing over him was a rather awake and miffed looking lynx-like skeleton, the tufted ears giving him away. He had a longer face and a white set of armor over his chest. He’d been the one knocking, which had woken you up.

“Hello? can I help you?” you ask and are handed a note in bold handwriting.

“HELLO! I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, THE BUNNY IS MY BROTHER SANS, AND I AM VERY MUCH IN NEED OF YOUR HELP! BLUE, RED, AND SYRUP BOTH ASSURED ME YOU ARE A KIND AND HELPFUL PERSON. MIGHT WE COME IN?”

“oh, yeah,” You let him in, yawning slightly as you do. Papyrus picks up his brother and sets the snoozing rabbit on your couch as he pulls out a notepad to write.

“YOU SEE, OUR FOREST IS NOW TOO SMALL FOR HUNTING. THE NEW HUMAN HOUSES ON THE OTHER SIDE HAVE CHASED OUT THE GAME, AND THOUGH WE ARE OMNIVOROUS, MANY OF US TRY TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH OUR ANIMAL INFLUENCES. THIS HAS MADE THINGS HARD FOR OUR WHOLE FAMILY. I DO HATE TO IMPOSE, BUT MIGHT YOU HELP US? CAN SANS AND I SPEND SOME TIME HERE TODAY? THE OTHERS ARE IN TOWN TRYING TO PETITION THE MAYOR, SO IT IS RATHER LONESOME.”

You gasp. You’d been very unhappy about the new development (since it was so close to your own, otherwise isolated, little home) but knowing it was hurting your neighbors was infuriating. “Of course you can stay, Papyrus! You and Sans, and any of the rest of your family, can come here and stay at any time. You’ve all been lovely guests.”

He beams and hugs you tight, making your back crack soothingly by accident, and sets you down again. Sans is blearily rubbing his sockets and blinking at the two of you by now, and you smile at him, “Hey there, Sans. It’s nice to meet you and your brother. I’ll get breakfast started if you guys don’t mind.”

Sans nods, and Papyrus follows you, his big soft paws making no noise as he moves. He watches as you start making oatmeal and ask Papyrus, “Is this good enough for you and your brother?”

He nods and watches as you add the milk, the butter, and…a sprinkling of sprinkles when done. They’re dinosaur sprinkles, and Papyrus actually SPARKLES as he sees them.

Sans shuffles in and looks at you with his big dark sockets, the tiny white circles of his pupils slowly getting bigger until he grinned and leaned his skull into your back. He purrs.

“Uh? Buddy? Papyrus? What’s going on?” you ask and Papyrus writes on another note.

“MY BROTHER CAN READ SOULS. HE SAYS YOURS IS AMAZINGLY KIND AND GIVING, SO HE’S NOW DECIDED YOU’RE PART OF THE FAMILY. AND ALSO PROBABLY HIS NEW NAP BUDDY IF YOU EVER FALL ASLEEP NEAR HIM.”

You don’t mind. From your reading session with Syrup and Blue’s hugs, you’ve already found out that skeletons are surprisingly cuddly and warm.

Sans stays in place (maybe he fell asleep on his feet?) till the food is finished and you set out the bowls.

Papyrus took one seat, Sans another, and you sat directly across from Papyrus. As the three of you ate, you babbled.

“You guys must be a big family. There are so many of you living in the woods, but I’m very happy to have met you. I mean,” you think back, “Edge startled me a bit, and I don’t think Syrup’s brother likes me much, but it’s wonderful that you all live together.”

Papyrus nodded happily and ate his oatmeal rather quickly. Sans just sighed, eating his food and then serving himself more from the pot when he had emptied the bowl. He also would refill his brother’s bowl, much to Papyrus’ irritation, but you didn’t mind. Breakfast was your smallest meal of the day (despite knowing most said it ought to be the opposite) but you were just too tired to eat a lot so early.

It would be nice to have someone sharing the house for a bit today.

You’re more than a little amused when your oatmeal pot is empty and both your guests are clearly full. Papyrus is clearly miserable, having lost some of the energy to his posture and trying (in vain) to discreetly rub his middle beneath the table. Sans, on the other hand, seems pleased with himself, his sockets half closed and smile placid.

He gets up and helps Papyrus to the couch, but before they sit, you say, “I have a guest bedroom, if you’d like a proper bed? Lying down is usually best when you overeat.”

Sans nods and you show them to the guest room, Papyrus very careful in his moves as he lays on his back in the bed and Sans sits next to him, leaning on the headboard.

You smile and tell them you’ll be in the living room, reading, and that they’re welcome to read any of the books in the house. Sans signals “ok” and you take your leave.

\--

Sans comes and sits with you after an hour or so. He takes a book of star mythology from your shelves and began to read, and you didn’t have any issues with this.

After a little while, he nudges you and shows you the paper pad you have been sure to keep on the table since Edge came, “thanks for the food and for letting my brother use that bed.”

“It’s no problem at all, Sans,” you respond, genuinely happy to be of service. “Papyrus is a pretty neat fella and if I can help somebody out, especially somebody so cool, I’m glad.”

This made his ears perk up a bit, and he nuzzled into your shoulder as he hugged you. You giggle, and pat his skull, “And I’m glad to help you out, too. If any of you guys need something, I’ll be more than willing to help.”

You hold in a laugh when you’re answered with a soft snore. Sans had gone back to sleep hugging you.


	7. Be a deer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> well, it seems Razzy needs to have his day with the human

Papyrus wakes up after only an hour of sleeping, but seems recovered. He follows you about, helping with various chores, and using a dry erase board and marker you’d found in some old school supplies to chat up a storm.

The skeletons are distantly related at best, but with how communal monsters are as a whole, this doesn’t surprise you. They all share an ancestor six or seven generations back, far enough to the point humans would say they’re more a tribe than a family. But they all basically refer to each other as cousin, and that the fact there are so many sets of two brothers is basically from a long standing tradition of always having two kids (at least) in a family and some really funny luck.

And that Razzy, Syrup’s brother, was in fact very protective of Syrup and had been a rattling wreck when he’d left Syrup with you to go shopping for groceries (when they’d finally come to a group decision that food shopping was now necessary).

“Oh?” you remember the note, “But he acts so….well, indifferent to Syrup on first glance. Is that normal?”

Papyrus nods and shows you the new text on the white board, “OH YES. THE BRANCH OF THE FAMILY RAZZY, SYRUP, RED, AND EDGE COME FROM IS HIGHLY AGAINST SOFT EMOTION, VERY LAW OF THE JUNGLE TYPE. IT’S A COMMON IDEOLOGY FROM A DARKER TIME IN MONSTER HISTORY, BUT WE MOSTLY DON’T FOLLOW IT ANYMORE. THEY WERE JUST RAISED TO NOT SHOW KINDNESS OR AFFECTION IN FRONT OF STRANGERS FOR SAFETY, AND SYRUP HAS A HARD TIME NOT SHOWING HIS SHYNESS, AND THUS, TO OTHERS IN THEIR IDEOLOGY, WEAKNESS.”

“Oh stars, Papyrus…” you’re more than a little shocked. Monsters, no matter the situation, had always been kind, polite, and helpful when you’d met them. To learn there were such harsh tenets lurking in their midst… “Are they all okay, though?” Your first priority was to make sure everyone was safe.

“CERTAINLY.” Papyrus beamed and gave you a hug as you both returned inside from pruning one of your rose bushes. His white board was getting a little messy, but you had cleaner for it somewhere. “THE REST OF US ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE FOR THEM, AND YOU’VE MET EDGE AND RED MORE INDIVIDUALLY. THEY’RE VERY DISTANT AT FIRST, BUT LOVE ONE ANOTHER EVEN SO. SYRUP AND RAZZY ARE MUCH THE SAME, EXCEPT THAT SYRUP MAKES IT MORE OBVIOUS AND RAZZY HAS TO COMPENSATE BY BEING ROUGH IN PUBLIC.”

You nod and frown, “But Razzy is nicer at home?”

A very big nod, and a pet from those big soft paws. Feels good and the white board is rewritten. “VERY MUCH. SYRUP PRETTY MUCH SLEEPS IN RAZZY’S LAP, BUT IT’S NOT SURPRSING. RAZZY RAISED HIM ON HIS OWN FROM A PRETTY YOUNG AGE. WE ALL OFFERED TO HELP, BUT THEY DIDN’T COME TO LIVE WITH US UNTIL LATER IN THEIR LIVES SO THERE WASN’T MUCH WE COULD DO. RED AND EDGE AT LEAST WERE BROUGHT UP BY A PARENT TILL THEY WERE TEENS, SO THEY’RE A LITTLE BETTER ADJUSTED.”

“That sounds awful; I’m glad the boys are able to find a home that can care for them,” you suddenly want to talk to Razzy in private just to understand better.

\--

Sans and Papyrus leave later as the sun is going down, and the three of you ended up planning a bit of a party for the family. You’ve talked one on one with every one of them except Razzy, and with Sans’ approval, as he was the (surprising) eldest of the group, you were being given the official title of ‘clanmate’ which was a monster title given to friends who become close enough to count as family.

It’s nice, as you get your house in order and do some grocery shopping of your own. You’re making a family dinner like your mother’s family did for holidays, but now it’s YOU making it and it’s for YOUR new family that…you honestly never expected to have as the elders had passed and the minimal younger generations drifted further and further away from each other.

But you come home to see Razzy on your back porch, fidgeting with his fingers and looking agitated on his own. “Razzy?”

He jumps and you flinch, knowing how dangerous those antlers on his head could actually be. That makes him stop, and he takes a deep breath before gesturing to let him carry some of your groceries in.

“Oh, uh, thank you. I guess you’re here to talk about Sans’ idea to adopt me?” you ask, and he nods, but helps you get your bags inside before he hands you a letter.

It’s sealed with wax in the shape of a raspberry and you peel the paper of the envelope rather than break the pretty seal.

“HUMAN,

I HAVE COME TO MAKE MY CASE.

PAPYRUS INFORMED ME OF YOUR CONCERNS, NOT JUST FOR ME, BUT FOR MY BROTHER AND THE REST OF US AS WELL. I DON’T PRETEND TO UNDERSTAND THE ROOTS OF YOUR GENEROSITY OR WHAT YOU CAN HOPE TO GAIN FROM PUTTING UP WITH SO MANY OF US, BUT NEVERTHELESS, IT IS ALL APPRECIATED.

SYRUP HAS NEVER BEEN SO CALM AFTER SO LONG WITHOUT ME AS HE WAS WHEN HE RETURNED FROM YOUR CARE. RED AND EDGE ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO HUNT INSTEAD OF BICKERING AND, TO MY CHAGRIN, I HAVE BEEN THE ONLY ONE LEFT OUT OF YOUR GOOD GRACES BECAUSE OF MY STUBBORNNESS AND SUSPICIOUS NATURE.

FORGIVE MY RUDENESS, AND LET ME TRY TO BEFRIEND YOU PROPERLY BEFORE YOU BECOME A PERMANENT PART OF OUR LIVES.

HOPEFULLY YOURS,

RAZZBERRY.”

His handwriting is lovely as before, and you look up to see him blushing, having already put the frozen parts of your groceries away as you read.

“This has to be the most elaborate apology I’ve ever seen, and…well, I can’t do much but accept something so sincere,” the answer makes him smile, softly, and you like this look much better. “And you’re already on my good side just from seeing how Syrup cares about you and you went to the effort of making him comfortable in such a…frustrating situation.” You almost want to punch the humans building that new development again.

He sees that rage, and he perks up, continuing to aid you in getting the food in the correct place as you talk to him and he answers with quick nods, shrugs, and the occasional note. He’s the least ‘note heavy’ of the more responsible brothers you’ve met, and he seems…sad, almost.

You ask about Syrup, and how he’s been doing. Razzy just smiles and pats you, so you guess he’s fine, but you then ask what he thought of his visit. Razzy writes on your notepad, “HE LOOKS FORWARD TO FINISHING THE BOOK YOU TWO WERE READING. HE LOVES FAIRYTALES.”

That makes you feel good, and as you make a space by taking out some leftover tortillas wraps, Razzy seems interested, tapping with his finger on the box to say, ‘what’s that?’

“Oh? These are tortilla wraps. I like cheese and chicken ones, or maybe some dessert style chocolate strawberry, but these are the savory versions. I was going to have them for lunch today, if you want some?” Something about the nod he gives you thrills your heart, and you set your plastic box aside to finish with the groceries before starting to warm them in your microwave.

Razzy takes the one you offer him and you almost laugh when his ears twitch. The more you see of these skeletons, the more you love their ears letting you know exactly how they truly feel.

You eat your wrap, just the one, and discuss how you made them, how tortillas are made when Razzy writes the question on the notepad, and then get off on a tangent about how home made tortillas and chips are better than store bought, and by the time it’s over, you have no wraps and Razzy is just nodding and giving other indications he’s listening as he watches you with rapt attention.

“I seem to have gotten off topic,” you blush, embarrassed at the rant, but Razzy shakes his head and smiles, patting your hand and getting up, with a little stumble as his hooves slip on your floor slightly. “Well, thank you, Razzy, for coming to talk to me, and helping with the supplies. I’m…more than happy right now, I think. It’s nice to find a place to belong, even if you are a loner like me.”

The suddenly cheery skeleton nods, giving you a pat on the shoulder and a chuckle as he leaves, that tiny white deer tail up high and stark against the black and dark pinks of his clothes.


End file.
